If you REALLY had to leave Britain, where would you go?

So, I really need to live elswhere on this ball called earth as a combination of factors are driving me close to madness. The constant rain being one factor amongst many.

Where would you go?

I need to:

Be able to ride my bicycle on trails that boot me into the air. “Freeride” if you will.

Afford food

Be “Allowed” to work or perform “Cash in hand” work to afford the above.

Get outdoors on my bicycle without wallowing in mud and rain for 11 months of the year.

Be able to get by with English until I can learn the local language (I speak some Spanish)

I have:

No commitments

No car

About £1000 if I sell absolutely everything I own except my clothes and bicycle.

No “real-world” employment skills
(Professional AudioVisual/Editing) (also skilled, experienced mountain-biker with good people skills, could potentially guide/coach?)

I’d like:

To live in some sort of reasonably sized community.

I don’t:

Mind living in a tent

I am:

Too old to get a work visa for Canada/USA easily

Where would you go?

I was going to say the States – but then I’ve got an American passport…

Abroad I think…..yes, abroad.

That’s a really interesting question, I’d be interested in the answers!
always had a thing for Florida. Think it’s a fascination with rockets and space shuttles when I was a kid. You could get some mexican drug lords to smuggle you in.

Hmm difficult, if you went too far a flight would chew up most of your budget (need to be able to live until work etc kicked off)

Getting visas for extended stays etc would be more difficult outside of the EU?

Spain – find a nice group of mountains – live in your tent – find and ride as many trails as you can – then guide

I have:

No commitments

Jammy bastered

Scotland

Berlin for me

Are you me? You sound a lot like me…

Costa Rica?
Spain?
Maritime Alps (Nice)?
EDIT: EU is easy for moving about, does Tenerife count?

and me, I do fancy buggering off to Spain for next winter at least. Must be a way of doing it on the uber-cheap.. Anybody want to start a ****-off-to-spain next winter club? I’ll gladly jack in my job.

If you can sacrafice bikes for skis/boards for 4 months or so, the french Alps. Can always head to the coast for winter. You could loose a few years in a place like Morzine nae bother and have a great time doing it.

“no commitments” has its plusses and minuses.
Lost everything including love of my life and “career” due to ill health and other mind-bending episodes of bad luck.
Now looking for the silver lining 🙂

I would travel through France,Italy then head Spain working my way down and camping ,if you dont look too scary and and can learn basics of Languages there are jobs in hotels ect , Ive worked in 56 countries over the last 21 years as a chef. Now ive got commitments and have to stay put, boo. Good luck enjoy the epic times ahead.

Is there any possibilty of “work” in Morzine/Alps?

Kevevs – I’m in

buy a camper and get gone . life is to short

Ive worked in 56 countries over the last 21 years

Blimey, that’s amazing. You’ve probably “lived” more than most people.
Probably ok to settle down for a bit!

I fancy buying a big van after Uni and disappearing into Europe.

Would only have £1000 to my name, so can’t afford car/camper 🙁

Find someone with a big van who wants to do the same but needs someone to split costs with? Having said that, you could get an old estate for £500 and £500 worth of Diesel would get you a fairly long way.

Southern Europe sounds like a good idea.

well mate sounds like you are “back at square one” with many new squares to explore. I’d imagine your square one is somebody elses square 15, it’s all relative this stuff. but I am so fed up of the weather I just want to go somewhere else for a while and ghet some sunshine..

Bar work, labouring on building sites, chalet hosting, driving/airport transfers, kitchen work to name a few. Don’t know the specific current job climate mind you. Try contacting one of the many British chalet/holiday companies or go out there at the start of the summer and chance it.

You could get accommodation with some jobs. Results in less money though.

I worked summers for a few years and have many friends who did the same and are still there 10 years later.

Some now own their own businesses there.

I love that place.

Oz/NZ – though working hol Visa may be an issue if your too old. You can get 6 months travelling but no working.

Do some of that work at home and get some cash, short of South America and parts of Asia £1000 is not going to last long. Especially in the global sense thats small change due to the state of the £.

You can wash bikes with an airline over here

try selling a kidney.

Southern Spain. Nice weather and lots of English about so you can survive with limited Spanish.

So, I really need to live elswhere on this ball called earth as a combination of factors are driving me close to madness

This isn’t your second new user name is it?
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/wifes-unexpectedly-pregnant-and-lm-not-happy

Ha ha, no I’m not pregnant. And if I was 29 i’d be already filling in the forms for a holiday work visa in BC! Do it you under 30s!!!

Thanks for all the options/possibilities so far everyone, here is some more pertinent information about my situation.

I only have £1000 at the most to keep me going for potentially the rest of my life, lol. If I can find work to top that up i’ll be doing it but I’ve been trying my best to get work for ages, bad times.

Considered selling kidney, seriously! (To get to BC!)

I’m nearly 43, fitter than ever but old motorcycle injury (fractured spine, bloody car drivers looking at their stereos on the motorway!) means I can’t consider certain heavy lifting/manual labour jobs.

All part of my dilemma

1k won’t get you far…

By the time you factor in flights and visas you won’t be able to get to anywhere but Europe and then you could probably bum most of the way down to southern Spain and end up there with over 500 quid.

If it’s any consolation, cheese is pretty expensive in BC.

Professional AudioVisual/Editing

Right time to find someone in the industry and come up with a wacky travel docco type plan…

Just heard of one here in oz who did 52 jobs in 52 weeks.

Get some social media buzz going and see what you can blag

great question. would not start something like that with 1k, too risky, save up a bit first? unless you have a job set up to go to. getting into NZ/Aus is getting hard and flights alone are 1000-1500 now. i think Europe has to be your best bet.. we all know how easy it is for them to get here 😉 (joke, i’m not a Daily Mail reader ok!). there’s so much in Europe and it’s on our doorstep, you’ve got all the way south to Africa and east to .. well the middle East? so much variety of culture and landscape. should be enough for a lifetime.. Spain though.. do you know what the unemployment rate is there, about 25% last i heard and 50% youth (which you aren’t, it’s just interesting)? maybe not there or Greece. How about Portugal, much friendlier.

I’m 40, skint, single and bored of this country and it’s weather. Have bike will travel. I’m seeing Spain as a vaiable thing. got any more info ComradeD?

I’d dirtbag it through Europe. Oz and the States both appeal but the continent would allow for just loading stuff on the car and going, money would go a lot further than flying off somewhere.

£1000 is not enough but other than that, Spain. Big hippy commune near orgiva that might suitable.

Ride your bike to France or Spain and help out on a farm for a while?[/url]

Southern Germany, Australia, USA in that order

I’d get yourself to Thailand. Not sure about the biking tbh although I’m sure there’s plenty about but it’s the first place I’d be heading if I had the chance. Wonderful country, you can live cheap and employment’s available if you’re willing to start at the bottom.

Try to get a job as a guide in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains? Easy jet to Marrakech then £950 beer money….

Not even £950 worth of beer in Morrocco,sorry.